Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I agree that buying these animals that are imported by the truck loads with little concern for there health sucks. The question I pose is, does anyone really think that telling people not to buy is going to have an impact on the trade? What is a better solution attempting to breed (cb) from the imports even if the money sucks? or just telling people not to buy? The main problem I see with everyone on there high horse about not buying imports starts with money. The importers buy and sell the savs because there cheap as can be and they make a profit. everyone on this forum says not to buy savs becuase of this. instead everyone buys monitors (cb) in turn if breed can then make the new owner a profit and in the same sense i have read that breeding the savs isn't worth it because of simple economics.....All im saying is that if you really care about these problems with importing savs then the loss of money when attempting to breed the savs and then selling the real deal (cb).Should not even be a factor. "No one should claim or attempt rightousness at any point of action, especially they are not doing selfless acts to prevent the evils of man."
I just came up with that last quote does it suck ?

just trying to spark a conversation don't even own monitor. Im still researching

Look at ball pythons. Those ARE bred widely. But because they can be imported SO cheaply, importers still make a profit and newbies still think they're getting a great deal on a $20 ball. So although I would also like to see more captive bred savs, even widescale breeding won't put a big dent in the import market. It seems that animals that CAN be imported and sold cheaply ARE going to be imported and sold cheaply. Animals that cannot be imported cheaply, like Timors, are captive bred quite enthusiatically. It also helps that they're small.
And not many people are going to volunteer to lose money breeding their savs and selling them at $15 to compete with the import market. It's just the way the world works.

Therefore they were attracted to the low price at the local pet store who carries 1-10 of them because they paid $5 or less each. True CBB animals are $100 for sale (widely available species), the average price of most species CBB is about $200-$1000 so who couldnt sell a bosc and even make back what you invested in food alone to breed them, simple economics is the biggest problem. I think that being a very commonly kept species theres no exclusivity to having one what so ever, because everyone around you has one, albiet most for 6 months to a year before they die.
Impulse buyers dont spend $200 on a pet when the animal in the petstore down the street is $25.

Actually I don't get it at all. Who is being anything??? Maybe if you looked at a pen or bag containing hundreds or thousands of baby Savs, maybe you could come up with some feelings and thoughts. One of the main differences between WC's and CH's is how their treated. CH's are not put in containers of thousands, yet.

Also, at this time, it is about money. But most here are ignorant about the amounts. If you take the actual "real" cost of a captive produced Sav. and compare to the "real" cost of a "farmed produced" Sav. The difference is past great.

Funny thing about people who do not actually do things, they have a misguided picture of the actual effort it take to do them. In this case, effort = cost.

If you take that last person I know of that actually produced Savs. How would you measure the costs? From the time he started keeping Savs? or The time the pair bred? Or based of a period of time? In his case, he as produced several(?) I do not actually know, something like 20 or so, in the last five years. In that case, IF you base it over five years, the actual time he has attempted to bred them, the cost would be one to several thousand each for the babies.

Also, if you are attempting to impact the sales of WC's then you do not compete with retail prices, but instead, wholesale prices. Which is around the five dollar mark(= or-)

Again in order to impact WC's, you would have to produce tens of thousands, at or near the cost of the imports. While there are people breeding monitors, I do not know of one that is set up or whats to be set up to do such a thing.

The actual cost of this type of thing is based on material, power, food, and labor costs. In this country, there is simply no way to compete. Specially without the support of the government. (This statement is very important)

Our government is not only "not" interested in supporting the captive breeding of exotics, its actively trying to stop it.

If our government was interested in supporting these types of cottage industries, it would tax the imports to create an even playing field. You know, like it does electronics and autos and such. You have to understand, if the government supported such things, it would provide insentives to develop such things. As you should know, it doesn't.

Being is you like quotes, try this "I sell my product at a loss, but I make up for it in volume" Because that would be accurate in this case. F

anyway. all the responses to the post are centered around the economics and operating a breeding project of savs with expected substantial loss. the exception is the comment of putting a dent into this horrible practice with successful attempts. The government is against ownership and breeding of exotics, well that is the best way of stopping the importation then. the main reason they are against it is ignorance of reptiles and their husbandry. has anyone contacted local officials or gone the legal route in attempts to educate what is going on in the pet trade. The whole taxing idea is great. the government should be notified and educated in the loss of money in taxation on their part.

I do realize if one person was to say something it would be pointless. I would put my qoute here but it sucks.

i think im going to go with a white headed Argentine B&W